MOSES LAKE – On Thursday, it was announced that Freewind Martial Arts was selected as the flagship location for the California nonprofit Jonie’s Angels new scholarship program. Freewind will be able to provide qualifying youths in Moses Lake with an all-expenses-paid year of classes. 

“I'm super excited about this, because it's an opportunity for us to give (classes to) someone that is very passionate about martial arts that might not ordinarily have that financial support,” Freewind instructor Brandi Guertin said. “I'm just so excited to be a part of the program and to offer this to Moses Lake and our community and giving that to a deserving youth is just a gift that is bigger than any monetary thing.” 

According to Guertin, martial arts is much more than becoming highly skilled at a craft or sport. It is more about investing in yourself and becoming a better person. She said when students walk through the door, whatever they have weighing on them can be left outside for a short period.  

Joni’s Angels is a nonprofit organization based in Huntington Beach, Calif. The scholarship covers up to $2400 to pay for classes and other needs related to martial arts. Whatever the scholarship can’t cover, the instructors will pick up the cost for the scholarship recipient.  

When they are in the studio, they can make personal investments in themselves and better themselves, Guertin said.  

“You can meet new people. You can learn new techniques. You learn self-defense, you get fit, you get healthy and all at the same time, you're building you, you're bettering yourself Freewind is a team in that we support each other, we encourage each other,” Guertin said. “It's something I had wanted to do for quite some time, but I'm only one person. Being one person with a really big idea tends to be really challenging.” 

For instance, one of the arts they teach is taekwondo. According to Guertin, taekwondo practitioners have five tenents they live by, which include courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and the indomitable spirit. She said if her students are able to incorporate these tenets into their daily lives like their training, they ultimately create a better self.  

Joni’s Angels Ambassador and COO Charlie Hicks said he saw that from the studio right away when watching the youth classes. He was moved by their emphasis on working on yourself and how the instructors set an example.  

Hicks said they do a great job of not making the art about winning or beating someone, but to instead emphasize being good people in society. This is something Hicks said he admires most when people approach martial arts in this way.  

“So, quality of instruction, caring about their kids, a fun program that keeps everybody happy, and they care about the art and how they represent it,” he said.  

Hicks said this is a new initiative that Joni’s Angels has started this year, and he gets to lead it. He has been working to create this scholarship over the last two years and Freewind is the first to be invited to be their flagship school.  

“We provide through those school's applications for the local area youth that are living at poverty level or below, to apply for these scholarships that allow them to take a year's worth of these classes with these great teachers, all expenses paid,” Hicks said.  

According to Hicks, this scholarship resonates with him because of his own background. He said he was poor when he was a kid and had martial arts instructors who saw his passion for it and offered him free classes when he could not afford it. It’s an experience he has never forgotten and wants to help Freewind have that same impact on Moses Lake youth.  

“We're trying to provide kids in those circumstances with the opportunity to engage in an activity that's fun, that they wouldn't normally be able to afford, and to engage in for an entire year, and get the examples of these great role models,” Hicks said.  

According to Guertin, martial arts can impact anyone in a positive way. She said people from all walks of life have at one point or another experienced martial arts in their past and they are usually good experiences.  

Applications for the scholarship are currently available at the Freewind Martial Arts Studio. 

“I just can't be more excited about it, because it's opening up so many opportunities for the Moses Lake community, the martial arts community, and connecting them together,” Guertin said.  

    Students at Freewind Martial Arts follow instructions during class. Brandi Guertin, an instructor at Freewind, said martial arts are a useful tool to become a better version of yourself.
  

    A young student practices his kicks with an instructor at Freewind Martial Arts. The studio has classes for kids and adults.
  

    Two students at Freewind Martial Arts work on kicks together. The Joni’s Angels scholarship will allow kids in poverty to have access to valuable lessons, according to Charlie Hicks, a Joni’s Angels ambassador and COO for the nonprofit.
  

    Freewind Martial Arts students pose for a photo at The Karate Center in Walla Walla. Freewind Martial Arts was founded as the first martial arts program in Grant County in 1981.